CBP April 2022 Monthly Operational Update

Texas Border Business

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WASHINGTON — U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) today released operational statistics for April 2022, which can be viewed online here.

“CBP continues to enforce the CDC’s Title 42 Public Health Order in addition to the agency’s long-standing Title 8 authorities. When the CDC’s Title 42 Public Health Order is terminated, CBP will once again impose consequences for all unlawful entries by fully exercising its Title 8 authorities, as it used to long before the COVID-19 pandemic,”said CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus. “The fact is that our borders are not open, and we will continue to remove those who enter our country unlawfully and have no legal basis to stay. While we will likely see an increase in encounters after the CDC’s Title 42 public health Order ends, I have a great degree of confidence that the dedicated men and women of CBP and our multiple agency partners will meet this challenge. After many months of planning, we are executing a comprehensive strategy to safely, orderly, and humanely manage our borders. CBP is surging personnel and resources to the border, increasing processing capacity, securing more ground and air transportation, and increasing medical supplies, food, water, and other resources to ensure a humane environment for those being processed, screened, and vetted.”

CBP Southwest Border Enforcement Numbers for April 2022

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Since many people expelled into Mexico under Title 42 try to reenter the U.S., Title 42 has contributed to a higher-than-usual number of migrants making multiple border crossing attempts, which means that total encounters somewhat overstate the number of unique individuals arriving at the border.

• The number of unique encounters nationwide in April 2022 was 157,555, a 2% decrease in the number of unique enforcement encounters compared to the prior month.
• There were 201,800 encounters by U.S. Border Patrol agents along the southwest land border in April, a 4 percent decrease compared to March. 
• An additional 32,288 encounters occurred by Office of Field Operations officers at a port of entry, an increase of 183 percent compared to March. This is attributed to the high number of Ukrainians processed at southwest border ports of entry. Of the 234,088 total encounters, 28 percent involved individuals who had at least one prior encounter in the previous 12 months, compared to an average one-year re-encounter rate of 15 percent for FY2014-2019.
• 71 percent of all southwest land border encounters were single adults, with 166,814 encounters in April, which represents a 2 percent decrease compared to March.
• 96,908 encounters (41 percent of total monthly encounters) were processed for expulsion under Title 42. 137,180 encounters were processed under Title 8. 
  • 89,642 encounters involving single adults (54 percent of all single adult encounters) were processed for expulsion under Title 42, with 77,172 processed under Title 8.
  • 7,058 encounters involving family unit individuals (13 percent of all family unit individuals) were processed for expulsion under Title 42, with 47,715 processed under Title 8.

Unaccompanied Children

• Encounters of unaccompanied children decreased 14 percent, with 12,221 encounters in April compared with 14,143 in March. In April, the average number of unaccompanied children in CBP custody was 478 per day, compared with an average of 582 per day in March. 

Family Unit individuals 

• Encounters of family unit individuals increased by 45 percent from 37,882 in March to 54,773 in April, which is a 37 percent decrease from the peak of 86,631 in August 2021.

CBP Nationwide Total Encounters for FY22TD through April: 1,478,977

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Preparations for a Potential Increase in Migration

CBP works to secure and manage our borders while building a fair and orderly immigration system. The CDC has announced that, on May 23, 2022, its Title 42 public health Order will be terminated. As a result, beginning on May 23, 2022, DHS will no longer process families and single adults for expulsion pursuant to Title 42. Instead, DHS will process them for removal under Title 8. Until May 23, 2022, the CDC’s Title 42 Order remains in place, and DHS will continue to process families and single adults for expulsion pursuant to the Order. 

Under Title 8, those who attempt to enter the United States without authorization, and who are unable to establish a legal basis to remain in the United States (such as a valid asylum claim), will be quickly removed.  Individuals who have been removed are also subject to additional long-term consequences beyond removal from the United States, including bars to future immigration benefits.  

DHS has been executing a comprehensive strategy to secure our borders and rebuild our immigration system. DHS began planning last September, and we are leading the execution of a whole-of-government strategy to prepare for and manage any rise in noncitizen encounters.  

That includes: 1) surging resources, including personnel, transportation, medical support, and facilities; 2) increasing processing efficiency, while maintaining the integrity of our screening processes, in order to reduce strain on the border; 3) administering consequences for unlawful entry, including expedited removal and criminal prosecution; 4) bolstering the capacity of NGOs and coordinate with state, local and community partners; 5) targeting and disrupting transnational criminal organizations and human smugglers; and 6) deterring irregular migration south of our border, in partnership with other federal agencies and nations.

Read more here. 

International Travel and Trade

One of CBP’s core mission objectives is to enhance the nation’s economic prosperity, including through the facilitation of lawful trade and travel. CBP continues to protect the United States’ national and economic security by facilitating legitimate trade while rigorously enforcing U.S. customs laws and regulations. 

Since travel restrictions were eased on November 8, 2021, CBP has processed increased numbers of arriving travelers without any significant delays. The new rules allow travelers who are non-U.S. persons to seek to enter the United States for non-essential travel via land ports of entry and ferry terminals, provided they are fully vaccinated and have appropriate documentation. The updated guidelines also allow most non-immigrants (non-U.S. citizens and other covered persons) who are fully vaccinated to travel by air to the United States, regardless of the reason for travel.

CBP will continue to track traveler numbers and wait times over the next few months and continue to adjust as needed to make the travel experience more efficient. In the meantime, travelers can plan by doing the following:

• Have a valid Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative document, such as a passport, Trusted Traveler Program card, or Enhanced Tribal Card.
• Possess proof of an approved COVID-19 vaccination as outlined on the CDC website.  
• Verbally attest to their travel intent and COVID-19 vaccination status. 
• Be prepared to present any documents requested by the CBP officer.

Accountability and Transparency

As part of the agency’s continuing effort to promote organizational accountability and transparency, CBP announced the release of its Report on Internal Investigations and Employee Accountability: Fiscal Year 2020. For FY2020, CBP leadership directed the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) and Human Resources Management (HRM) to generate a joint report combining information regarding allegation intake and misconduct investigations with information regarding disciplinary outcomes. CBP is committed to being a leader in law enforcement accountability and transparency by providing multiple ways to report incidents as well as timely, accurate, and appropriate information regarding CBP-related deaths, use of force incidents, and other critical incidents resulting in serious injuries. The Accountability and Transparency page provides the public with statements, policies, reports, and other important information concerning critical incidents and related OPR reviews and investigations.

Trade Stats/Seizures – Protecting the American Consumer

CBP works diligently with the trade community and port operators to ensure that merchandise is cleared as efficiently as possible. CBP works with the trade community to strengthen international supply chains and improve border security. There are several programs in which CBP works with importers, carriers, consolidators, licensed customs brokers, and manufacturers to seek advance information about shipments and expedite the inspection process at the ports of entry. CBP is available to conduct exams and is ready and willing to expand hours of operations if necessary to meet the growing demand for imported goods. 

In April 2022 alone, CBP processed more than 2.9 million entry summaries valued at more than $292.6 billion, identifying estimated duties of nearly $8.3 billion to be collected by the U.S. government. In April, trade via the ocean environment accounted for more than 40 percent of the total import value, followed by air, truck, and rail.

CBP completed 29 audits that identified $64.8 million in duties and fees owed to the U.S. government, stemming from goods that had been improperly declared in accordance with U.S. trade laws and customs regulations. CBP collected $1.8 million of this identified revenue. 

Intellectual property rights violations continue to put America’s innovation economy at risk. Trade in counterfeit and pirated goods threaten the competitiveness of U.S. businesses, the livelihoods of American workers, and the health and safety of consumers. 

In April 2022, CBP seized nearly 12,332 shipments that contained counterfeit goods valued at more than $1.8 billion.

Drug Seizures

CBP officers, Border Patrol agents, and Air and Marine Operations agents continue to interdict the flow of illicit narcotics across the border. Nationwide, drug seizures (Cocaine, Methamphetamine, Heroin, Fentanyl, and Marijuana) by weight were up 37 percent in April compared to March. Seizures were as follows:

• Cocaine seizures increased 96 percent  
• Methamphetamine increased 20 percent  
• Heroin seizures increased 138 percent  
• Fentanyl seizures increased 23 percent  

Additional CBP drug seizure statistics can be found here.

Agriculture Stats/Seizures – Securing American Agriculture

In April 2022, CBP agriculture specialists helped protect America’s agriculture, natural resources, and economic prosperity.

• CBP issued 5,892 emergency action notifications for restricted and prohibited plant and animal products entering the United States. 
• CBP conducted 81,689 positive passenger inspections and issued 647 civil penalties and/or violations to the traveling public for failing to declare prohibited agriculture items.

CBP COVID-19 Response

The safety of our workforce, our communities, and individuals in our care is a top priority.  CBP personnel put themselves and their families at risk with every encounter with the public. 

Since the start of the pandemic: 

• More than 24,792 CBP employees have tested positive for COVID-19.
• 64 have passed away. 

DHS continues to expand its approach to COVID-19 vaccination. On March 28^th, 2022, DHS initiated a program to vaccinate noncitizens in CBP custody so as to further safeguard public health and ensure the safety of border communities, the workforce, and noncitizens. 

Additionally, CBP takes the following COVID-19 mitigation measures:

• CBP provides migrants who can’t be expelled under the CDC’s Title 42 order or are awaiting processing with PPE from the moment they are taken into custody, and migrants are required to keep masks on at all times.
• CBP works with appropriate agencies that facilitate testing, diagnosis, isolation, and treatment of migrants, including:
  • Local governments and non-governmental organizations for persons released from CBP custody;
  • ICE for testing of persons to be released from CBP custody, particularly in locations without local government or NGO testing capability; and,
  • HHS for testing of unaccompanied children. 

·       DHS has developed a partnership model to test and isolate families who test positive for COVID-19 and reimburse 100 percent of the cost, provided that the state does not stand in the way. 

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